For Lucina
by When the Moon Met the Sun
Summary: "I'm going to speak plainly. That document describes your ex-wife's intent to gain full custody of Lucina, and there's a high likelihood you could lose your daughter." Chrom only has one choice if he intends to keep his daughter, and Robin's the only one who can help him. Chrobin Week Day 2: AU
1. Chapter 1

_This was written for Chrobin Week 2015. Currently being expanded to a full story._

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _The beginning_

* * *

Maribelle is upset from the minute Chrom steps into her posh attorney's office. He sits in the chair in front of her desk like it's a live grenade. He's not in the best mood since having a run in with Lucina's headstrong teacher, and he's tense with anxiety because Maribelle said it was urgent. It's when she doesn't even bother offering him a drink that realization hits.

"This is about the divorce." His statement hangs in the air until she confirms it with a tight nod.

He almost revisits his lunch right then and there because if there's one thing he hates talking about more than his shitty childhood, it's his shitty (former) marriage. She hands him a certified court document that he doesn't attempt to read, instead waiting for her to explain.

"Chrom." Maribelle's tone is calm, ever the consummate professional, but her eyes are wide and sympathetic. "I'm going to speak plainly. That document describes your ex-wife's intent to gain full custody of Lucina, and there's a high likelihood you could lose your daughter."

He waits for the punchline, for the "Gotcha!" because there is nothing that _isn't_ wrong with that sentence. Then he remember that Maribelle jokes exactly never, and the dread surges until he finds it hard to catch his breath.

"What?" he manages. Chrom lets another beat go by in silence, but when Maribelle seems disinclined to say anything else, he says carefully, "She gave up her rights to Luci in the divorce. She can't do this."

"She can," Maribelle confirms quietly. "Ylissean law allows her to appeal despite renouncing her parental rights. And you should know-"

"Why the hell would she do that?" He interrupts, incensed. "She did absolutely nothing for Lucina when we were married, she doesn't love her own daughter, and Lucina never recognized her as her mother. She called her Laurel, for god's sake!"

Maribelle waits patiently for him to get a grip, but all he can think about is how one mistake four years ago had made him the most miserable and the most happy he'd ever been. He'd been determined to pay the price of his drunken indiscretions-well, _indiscretion_ , singular-and raise Lucina alongside her mother. Too bad it'd taken him that many years to realize that he was wasting his time with Laurel and that she'd never be interested in anything besides herself. He and Lucina had cut their losses two months ago and hadn't looked back. It burned him up inside that she couldn't even let him have that.

"Maribelle, she is not fit to be a parent," he argues, leaning forward and ticking off points on his fingers. "She's manipulative and self-centered and she has a spending problem, not to mention-"

"I agree," Maribelle cuts in calmly. "And she's likely doing this for money, since you're wealthy enough to finance her grand lifestyle for the rest of her life."

"She got 50% of my assets in the divorce already. What more does she want?"

"I can't imagine what it'll take to satisfy that woman, but you have to listen, Chrom, because this is crucial," Maribelle urges. "During your divorce proceedings, I mentioned that yours was a rare case where the child was placed with the father, since fathers are rarely awarded full custody." She pauses, brow creasing with concern. "That means that there is significant precedent of Ylissean law being biased in favor of the mother."

He exhales, sharp and panicked. "What, so now that Laurel actually wants Lucina they'll automatically rule against me?"

Maribelle swallows and seems reluctant to speak, which is answer enough for him.

"No...no, that can't be possible! Maribelle, please," he pleads. "There has to be something we can do. They can't take her away from me. I'm her father. I love her more than anyone, dammit!"

She bites her lip. "There is one course of action that could tip the scales in your favor."

"I'll do it."

"Excellent. Have your girlfriend meet us at the courthouse then."

Her statement scrambles his thoughts as he struggles to decipher it. "...I'm sorry, what?"

"Married couples have better track records in custody battles," she explains. "Laurel is still the mother, but if you were married, your case would have more equal footing. The court would have to make a decision based on parenting ability, and they'd take into account resources, relationships, and other factors that could affect Lucina's upbringing."

"God. You're serious." He gives her a dry and disbelieving laugh. "Get married? I haven't dated anyone since Laurel, and look how well that turned out. There has to be another way. Look for another way."

Maribelle sighs and steps out from behind her giant mahogany desk. She sits in the seat next to him and places a supportive hand on his arm. "Chrom, your family is very dear to me, and I'm going to do everything possible to make sure you keep your daughter. I would not advise you to be rash unless I thought it was the only way."

 _The only way_. He lets that sink in. He had one way to potentially keep his daughter. The urge to get absolutely hammered is strong suddenly, but considering that's what landed him here, he reigns it in. He nods to his lawyer and runs a hand over his face. "How long?"

"The first hearing is scheduled in three weeks. From there, depending on the caseload, it could take between five and 12 months to close the case."

She says something else to him, starts listing off women she knows like he can just pick a name out of the lineup and get down to business. He waves her off with something and stumbles out of the office, mind buzzing. He needs to be married in three weeks. He's just supposed to bring a woman into his life, expect her to accept Lucina like she's her own, and what, he wins? He knows exactly one woman he could ask, and he has a snowball's chance in hell of getting her to agree. He drops into his car and slams his hands against the steering wheel. The situation is so ludicrous that he starts to laugh and then cry until he feels empty.

Chrom sits in silence, cheeks wet.

-X-

Robin needs wine, and she needs it stat. After a day spent running after her three whirlwind students, she feels she's earned that, a long soak in her tub, and if she can stretch her budget, a pint of mint chip.

She makes a mental note never to give the kids oatmeal raisin cookies again because those did not do her any favors.

At least Laurent, Kjelle, and Lucina also seem exhausted, which she's sure their parents will appreciate. She helps the trio slip into their coats, taking extra time to tuck Lucina's blanket into the neck of her coat like a cape, and leads them to the front where Miriel and Sully are waiting. Robin finds it odd that Lucina's father is late, but if Lucina notices, she doesn't say anything. The other women greet Robin warmly but don't dawdle, since the kids are eager to go home.

Lucina tugs on her skirt only after they've gone, and Robin smiles wide at the girl pulling her "cape" around her. She crouches down to her level, and her smile softens at the way Lucina seems to be fighting to keep her eyes open. The girl is a cherub despite practically being a clone of her father-all blue eyes, blue hair, and unfailing lack of tact-and while that used to disconcert her, she's grown to accept that good kids can come from less than likeable people.

"What is it, Lucina?"

"Don't forget my picture," she reminds her, pulling her by the hand to the front desk. She snatches the drawing she'd made earlier and waves it at Robin. Robin takes it, her grin wide at the barely recognizable sketch of herself and Lucina with arms like spaghetti petting a dog that looked like a rock.

"I won't forget it," she promises. "I'll put it on my fridge where I can see it everyday."

Lucina beams. "Can I make one for Daddy tomorrow, Miss Robin? Please?"

"Of course. Tomorrow during art time you can draw one for him." _And please tell him all about how you drew me first_ , she thinks with dark satisfaction.

She really should stop antagonizing him in her mind, but she can't help it. She'd bet her whole school that he said snippy things about her in his head, too. That was just their perpetual state of being around each other, and it had been since they were bitter rivals in high school. The more things change (she thinks of Lucina and her sharp eyes and how Chrom is unbelievably, infuriatingly, a good dad), the more they stay the same (she thinks of their screaming match a month ago about whether Lucina was too old for a security blanket, which she'd won). God, it's enough to drive her up a wall.

"Miss Robin, I'm ti-" Lucina yawns in the middle of her sentence and rubs at her eyes. "I'm tired. Can I go home?"

Robin checks the clock and frowns when she realizes it's almost half past five, and Chrom still hasn't shown. "We're just waiting for your father, dear."

"I want to go home," she sighs, almost petulant.

Robin places a hand gently on the crown of her head. "Your father will be here soon. Why don't you go lie down, and I'll come get you when he's here, okay?"

Lucina nods immediately, and Robin leads her back to their classroom. She gets Lucina out of her coat and cape and settles her until she's comfortable on a foam mat. She drapes the small threadbare blanket over Lucina and strokes her bangs back until her breathing evens out. Robin watches the way her eyes flutter behind her eyelids for a moment, and she feels a surge of protectiveness and anger on her behalf. Whenever her father decides to show, he's going to catch hell from her.

She has her mind set on calling him up and giving him a not-so-friendly reminder him that he has a daughter when Sumia intercepts her. The only other teacher at the school, Sumia was her greatest (well, only) ally in their struggle to keep their daycare and preschool afloat.

"We have a problem," she says, and Robin groans internally. "The lighting in the back office keeps flickering. I think it's the wiring. Can we..."

"I don't know," Robin sighs tiredly, rubbing at her temples. "We're going to take a pay cut this month as it is to pay for the new toys we got in."

"We could have a bake sale," she suggests with a smile that's closer to a wince.

"We could." Robin sags against the front desk, and Sumia squeezes her shoulder sympathetically. Just once, she'd like for things to run smoothly and not have worry about whether or not she'd make rent. The fact that it's nothing new, though, makes it easy to push it to the back of her mind when she's got bigger fish to fry.

Robin sends Sumia home with the promise to look over their budget. It's past six, and she has the phone to her ear when the front door opens. She slams the phone back on the hook at the sight of Chrom, red-eyed and ragged.

The sight concerns her because she's never seen him look less than immaculate, but she can't stop herself from asking in a harsh whisper, "Where the hell have you been?"

This time there's no forced pleasantries aimed at her or ridiculously gorgeous smiles he saves for his daughter alone. He gives her a wide-eyed look that seems to be on verge of panic. "Where's Lucina?"

"In the classroom sleeping."

Chrom makes a beeline for the room, and Robin follows after him, caught between confusion and rage. Lucina is curled tightly on the mat, her blanket tight against her chest. He drops to his knees beside her and stares at her so hopelessly that Robin's anger dissipates. Something must have happened because he's not just looking at her like she's his whole world, but like she'll disappear if he so much as blinks. Her heart aches for him for one terrifying second before the surprise sets in.

Robin has always been a sympathetic person, but Chrom has always existed outside of that sphere. She had nothing to sympathize with when they were in high school, not when, as the son of the man that owned the city, everything had practically been handed to him. That combined with one thoughtless remark their freshman year had launched a rivalry that even teachers knew to stay out of.

That doesn't stop her heart from breaking for Lucina, though, just like Chrom seems to be breaking for her.

He slips his arms underneath the sleeping girl, carefully cradles her to his chest, and presses a lingering kiss to her hair. Lucina doesn't make a peep; she just settles down against her father. Robin can see the tension in his arms, how tight he's holding her, and she expects him to sweep out of the room without another word, leaving her to forever wonder what it was that let her catch a glimpse of Chrom at his most vulnerable.

He doesn't. He walks up to her and gives her an inscrutable look.

"Robin, I…" He swallows. "I need your help."

She's nodding before he finishes his sentence.

-X-

She shaking her head immediately after he finishes his sentence, and she imagines he's kicking himself for leading with the most complicated question known to man.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" she says, tone calm though internally she feels like her thoughts have been scrambled to hell and back.

Chrom glowers, leaning forward on the couch. She shifts backward the tiniest bit to keep space between them. "Are you going to judge me or are you going to help me." It's not even a question.

"Judge you," she decides. "I don't know what I thought you needed help with, but it sure as hell wasn't this."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry, Miss Perfect doesn't have a contingency plan for this exact situation."

He's not looking so vulnerable anymore. In fact, if he simply twists his mouth at her with that fire in his eyes, then it'll be just like old times. It's almost nostalgic, she thinks with an eye roll.

"You can't just spring that on someone," she hisses, making a point to keep her voice low so as to not wake the sleeping four year-old down the hall. She struggles to find her next words, but settles for just whispering in outrage. "Marriage?"

"Believe me, when we agreed to be civil to each other for Lucina's sake, I didn't have this in mind. I also don't have a choice."

She opens her mouth to interrupt him with some nice hot logic, but he launches into a story about Lucina's mother, her greed, and the very real danger she posed. She doesn't try to get a word in because she's absolutely floored when he tells her that she-Robin-is his only hope to keep his daughter out of Laurel's clutches. He needs a convincing marriage to show the court he's a good enough father.

His face falls the further into his story he gets, and the foreign sympathy for this man comes rushing back to her. Chrom still hadn't made it onto her list of favorite people, or if he had, he was at the bottom only because she melted a little every time she watched him interact with his daughter. She wouldn't wish the fear of losing what's most precious on anyone, even him.

"I know you hate me. I know I haven't been the nicest since I enrolled Lucina, but I am begging you, Robin. I can't be without her." He takes a shuddering breath, and his voice breaks. "Marry me."

She worries her lip and slowly replies, "I suspected about Laurel, considering she was always hanging off of you in school, and I already know you have the worst judgement in the world. But marrying you? Do you have any idea what you're asking?"

"Yes!"

"No, you don't," she snaps. "You're asking me to give up my freedom for up to a year to be there for you. You're asking me to live a lie for a year and lie to everyone I love. My life, my relationships-" He raises an eyebrow at that, and she jabs him with her elbow. "The point is that no one is that selfless, although I'll take the fact that you think I am as a compliment."

"By all means," he sighs, his smile brief. "But there's no one else I can go to that will take to Lucina like you have. And in case you've forgotten, that's why I'm groveling!" He catches that he's raised his voice and continues more quietly. "This is for Lucina. Whatever you feel for me doesn't matter as long as you love her."

"...I do," she admits, conflicted about being the logical choice. Lucina wouldn't notice anything amiss. If anything, she'd jump for joy at the chance to spend more time with Miss Robin to have a real mom. She realizes with a heavy heart that Laurel's rejection is the reason Lucina drags her blanket around everywhere and why she got attached to Robin so quickly. She doesn't know what it's like to have her mother love her unconditionally like her father does.

"It wouldn't be completely altruistic," he adds, handing her a folded piece of paper. It's a check for five grand made out to her name.

She gapes. "I can't accept this." She extends it back out to him. He rolls his eyes, grabbing her empty hand to press the check into her palm. He curls his fingers around her hand, keeps it caught between both of his. She gaze drops down, suddenly speechless.

"You can. I'd rather pay you every month that it takes to sort this out than spend the next 14 years financing Laurel's crusade against me."

She glances up to his eyes and then focuses back on their hands. As much as it kills her, she can't argue that she doesn't need it. She could fix the school's wiring, upgrade their computers, and give Sumia a raise. And then there's Lucina…

"We'll need to set some rules," she says, her mouth moving quicker than her mind.

Chrom's mouth drops, like he hadn't expected her to agree in the first place. He lets her go finally, his eyes dark and serious as he nods. "Name them."

"We immediately divorce when Lucina's future is secured."

"Of course."

"And we both try our hardest to stop being petty toward each other."

He shoots her a wry look. "We'll try hard."

"I never hated you, you know," she blurts out in response. "You were just mystifyingly obnoxious. You're probably a good person."

"Probably, huh?" he murmurs, a trace of humor seeping back into his tone. "I'll take it."

She has about a million other questions and things she wants to say to him, but he leaves her alone abruptly to move deeper into the house. He returns minutes later, a velvet box in his hand. He doesn't fall to one knee. He sits down next to her and gingerly takes her hand as if he expects her to retract it at any moment. She wills herself to breathe evenly because so what if he's not a bad guy and he's putting a ring on her finger?

"I never hated you, either," he says, voice low, and it's definitely the slide of the metal on her skin that makes her want to shiver. "You were just mystifyingly out of reach."

-X-

He's never going to marry for love. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if his next marriage was to ensure his company stayed in the family or something equally ridiculous. Someone should make a movie out of his life, really.

The moment the procession starts, Chrom's heart goes into overdrive. Their friends and family all look to him for his reaction as Robin appears at the beginning of aisle, and he thinks his jaw drops at how radiant she is. He's never thought that about anyone, and yet he can't stop staring. The dress is lace and slim and entirely demure, but God does it make him think terrible, terrible things about all the other places it'd look good.

Yup, he definitely can't afford those thoughts, so he takes a deep breath to clear his head as she starts to walk.

Robin holds her head up high, looking calm and confident. She smiles demurely at him as she approaches, her mother on her arm. He mirrors her smile, a little forced at first, but it melts into something more genuine when Robin stops to hug and kiss Lucina in the front row.

That's why he's doing this, reminds himself. That's why Robin's agreeing lie to everyone they know and marry him.

When she slips her hand into his, he studiously keeps his eyes on hers and squeezes her fingers. Despite her outward confidence, she's nervous and he tries to reassure her, to thank her with his touch. It doesn't work. She seems tense until the officiant starts the spiel, and he relaxes in turn since this is what'll make or break the rest of his life.

"Chrom, do you take Robin to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

'I have to' probably won't go over well, so he settles for "I do."

"Good job, Daddy," Lucina whispers entirely too loudly, and he and Robin share a look and a short laugh that sets them at ease.

 _This is for you, Luci._

-X-

"Robin, do you take Chrom to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

The garden is silent, awaiting her answer, and Chrom's grip on her hands tightens a smidge. She's scared that at any moment someone is going to see right through them and expose them as a sham.

The words sit on the tip of her tongue, the ones she's supposed to say to make this right because if she doesn't love him, then at the very least she loves Lucina. Robin's just starting to find out what she'd do for her happiness.

"I do."

There, she said it. Chrom relaxes. The audience seems to take a collective breath. She doesn't hear the next words the officiant says, but she knows what comes next.

Chrom lets go of her hands and gently cups her face, curving his palms around her jaw. He's not nervous anymore. Why would he when he's managed to lock her down and secure his daughter's future? Instead, the look he gives her before he leans down is soft and grateful, and when he tilts her head up, she meets him halfway.

His lips are yielding and confident, but the kiss is brief. She definitely doesn't wonder what it'd be like to kiss him like in Sumia's romance novels, except that maybe it'd be nice. And maybe he thinks it'd be nice, too, if the pink in his cheeks is anything to go by.

Cheers erupt from their audience, and he holds her close for a moment, pressing their foreheads together. It looks romantic, she bets, but he doesn't whisper sweet nothings to her (fortunately? Unfortunately?).

"Thank you," he says sincerely. He leans in closer to whisper in her ear, "I know this isn't what either of us wanted, but what you're doing is..."

He trails off and looks at her with the blue of his eyes entirely too close and captivating.

She pulls him back against her. "Stupidly selfless and I'm going to live to regret it?"

"I hope not." He smiles, and this time it's not for her, but for everyone else.

Lucina leaps from her seat and throws herself into their arms, kissing them both.

"Mommy, there's cake in that room over there!" she shouts. "Daddy, can we please go?"

Robin smiles against the sudden lurch of her heart. Even if this goes off without a hitch, she's already in too deep. She won't make it out without breaking her own heart.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! I love hearing from readers, so feel free to leave a comment!_


	2. Chapter 2

_So this is no longer a one-shot. Thank you to Sub-Atomic Grape for betaing!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 _Getting married isn't the worst thing, but demons from Chrom's past are._

* * *

 _Chrom doesn't intend to speak to his father at all that night or the next night or ever._

 _He's done and he's furious and the fact that he can see his father every time his pacing leads him back to the mirror burns him up even more. Lissa bawls loudly in the room next to his, and if he strains his ears, he can hear Emm murmur in that tone that makes his stomach hurt with how soft it is. He's heavy with guilt, too, because he'd snapped at Emm out of his own frustration, seen the little wrinkle between her eyebrows deepen in hurt at his words._

 _God, none of this was Emm's fault or his, and somehow they were the ones that always had to deal with the damage._

 _He kicks at his desk and makes up his mind._

 _Frederick is long-used to his brashness, so when Chrom demands he be driven to City Hall, he gives in without complaint. There's no speech about propriety, no warning that it's his duty to protect Chrom even from himself-just a sharp nod and a door held open for him. Chrom storms down the halls with Frederick hot on his heels. He can hear voices when he closes in on the office, the only noise in building at this time of night._

" _-finally got that son of a bitch, Eldred!" he hears one of his father's advisers say. A glass clinks._

 _There's a laugh, and he recognizes it as his father's only after he begins to speak. "I want nothing more than to watch that bastard will rot in prison and then hell for what he's done."_

 _Chrom lifts his hand to knock, and he swallows, hesitation freezing him._

 _Frederick hovers nearby, frowning a deeper frown than usual. "Sir, are you certain-" he begins, eyes pained._

" _Yes!" Chrom snaps, and Frederick watches him carefully. "He can't keep doing this to us. We deserve better than this."_

 _With a hardened gaze, Frederick nods, stepping forward to squeeze Chrom's shoulder briefly. His loyalty to Chrom's father may run deep, but his loyalty to Emm, Chrom, and Lissa is fathomless._

 _Chrom takes strength from the gesture, remembering Lissa's face and Emm's quiet resignation at their father missing another piece of Lissa's childhood. He turns the knob and throws the heavy door hard against the hinges._

 _The two men inside fall silent immediately, his father's triumphant smirk shifting to an angry curl of his lip for a moment before Eldred sees it's just him._

" _Chrom!" His tone is damn near delighted compared to every other time Chrom has tried to speak to him, and Chrom's anger flares. "I've taught you manners, haven't I?"_

" _You missed it," Chrom seethes in response, fists clenched at his side. His father's expression doesn't show recognition of any kind. "Can you do anything for Lissa? For any of us?"_

 _His father's gaze narrows, and the glass in his hand clicks loudly against the desk as he sets it down. "Everything I do is for you and your sisters," he argues, stepping around his desk menacingly._

 _Chrom stands his ground, even as his father towers over him. "That's a lie! If you cared about us, you'd be at home and going to her recitals or my games or...anything!"_

 _Fury seeps into his father's expression. "If I missed her insipid little performance, it was because I was busy taking back the city to make it safe for her. For you, Chrom. But you're 14-what do you know of-"_

" _You haven't done a thing!" Chrom yells, heart racing as he met his father's blazing blue eyes. "You've just made her cry, night after night! And Emm, too! Emm can't even-"_

" _That's enough!" his dad bellows back, grabbing him by his skinny shoulders hard enough to bruise. Chrom forces himself to not look away, even as he can feel fear settling into his bones. "You don't know a thing. You just a boy who thinks he knows better than his father."_

" _I do!" Chrom protests, voice cracking as he struggles against the hold._

" _You don't." He says it with finality and releases Chrom. He stumbles and tries to stand tall against the ache in his shoulders._

" _You wish to know what I did instead of being home with my ungrateful children?"_

 _Chrom is silent, tears pooling in his eyes._

" _The man that orchestrated your mother's murder…" his father continues. "He was caught today._ That's _what I've done for us."_

 _Tears spill down his cheeks, but his next words still burn with defiance. "You did that for yourself. Not for us."_

" _You disrespect your mother's memory," he accuses with his next breath, and Chrom flinches, finally dropping his gaze. "Frederick! Take the boy home. You'll face disciplinary action tomorrow."_

 _Frederick comes to Chrom's side and bows his head. "...Sir."_

 _Without another word, Frederick gently guides Chrom out of the building and back into the car. Chrom waits until the door has closed to wipe at his eyes._

 _He doesn't know what to tell his sisters, so he doesn't say anything. He crawls into bed and dreams of his mother._

-X-

Goddammit.

Why are there so many _people_? He's sure he doesn't recognize most of the guests that are currently swarming the reception hall, and he's doubly sure that Robin invited even fewer people than he did. And that means, if he's having the worst time fending off well-wishes from practically strangers, then Robin is probably planning his murder in her head while she grins away.

Well, maybe he's not having the _worst_ time. It's actually not that bad to be tucked away at their newlywed table with an excuse to pull his arm around his new wife's shoulders. She smells nice, like flowers or something else sweet, and she's very...pliable under his touch, which he finds interesting.

He's tried a few times to catch her off guard, slipping his palm down her exposed arm or on the skin revealed by the low back of her gown, but she never startles and just kind of goes with it, tilting her head toward him or smoothing her hand over his tie. Of course, she knows as well as he does that there are eyes on them from every direction, and she (or rather, they) are acing the newlywed test so far. And naturally, when she leans in after their latest visitor has turned to leave, he plays along until he feels her pinch his side hard.

He yelps and widens his eyes at her meaningfully.

Robin smirks. "Sorry. My hand slipped."

"So did mine," he argues, expression innocent.

She shoots him an unimpressed glance, her eyes even darker with the way they're made up. "Don't test me. I know at least 50 ways to make myself a widow."

He chuckles, deliberately tugging her closer to see her reaction. "I hope you teach that in your class. It's very practical knowledge for four-year-olds."

She huffs and then makes a grab for his free hand when a guest walks a little too close to their table. He eyes the rings stacked neatly on her finger and almost misses when she mutters, "Well, at least you're having fun."

"It's at least bearable with you," he admits.

She gives him an odd look, and her voice comes out a little sharp. "You don't have to keep doing that, you know. I already married you. The ink is dry and everything."

Chrom's lips turn down at the corners. "I'm not _lying_ , Robin."

She's silent, and she leans away from him to rearrange the skirt of her dress, so he can't see her expression. He drops his arm and feels a flash of irritation at her. They had a habit of turning the semi-nice things the other did or said into reasons to argue, but Chrom had also assumed that they'd made progress in the two-ish weeks since he'd politely and not at all desperately asked her to marry him.

He's about to take the bait and say as much when she hesitantly sits back in her seat. She blinks at him, surprised his arm isn't draped along the back of the chair.

"Okay," she sighs, relaxing.

He'll take it.

He gingerly brings her close again.

They sit in companionably silence for a few minutes, and Chrom takes a quick survey of the room to see if he can spot the tell-tale signs of mischief Lucina leaves behind. Lissa hadn't sounded too promising when she'd volunteered to keep an eye on Lucina all night, so he knows if he looks hard enough he'll find trouble.

Robin finds it first, though it's not in the form of his bouncing baby girl.

"What is going on over there?" she asks quietly, and Chrom follows her gaze across the room and curses.

Blonde, elegant, and with all the charm of a pit viper, Marion Themis is staring down Robin's mother, Morgana, who looks none too happy herself. The guests closest to them are openly staring because of whatever has already been said between them, and the tension draws tighter on their faces as the blonde leans in closer.

"We have to go." He doesn't have time to explain further, so he just pulls her to her feet and starts moving. Robin's heels click quickly on the polished floor as she keeps pace with his long strides. The crowd parts for the two of them, and it's silent enough that Marion's next words ring loud and clear, dripping with condescension.

"And it makes no sense why Chrom would have so little acumen as to invite _you_ over his own flesh and blood."

Morgana's response is measured and even. "What my daughter and her husband choose to do is not your concern."

Marion's sneer becomes a little more apparent at that, and before Chrom can speak, Robin demands, "What is happening here?"

Marion rounds on them, her eyes wide and only on him. Her pinched expression shifts into a tight smile. "My goodness Chrom," she begins sweetly. "Don't you make a dashing groom! I apologize for not getting around to greeting you sooner. You see, we were having this lovely conversation-"

"You were insulting my mother," Robin snaps. "At my wedding, no less."

Marion looks taken aback for a moment, like she's surprised Robin is standing there, much less speaking to her still, but soon enough she's returning Robin's frosty glare. "I was simply explaining how impressed I was with how well this affair turned out."

She sounds impressed all right, if you can sound impressed and patronizing at the same time.

"Chrom caught everyone off-guard, after all. Divorced, remarried in months-all very impulsive and par for the course for him." She looks back to Chrom with a knowing smirk. "Eldred sends his best. I'm sure he would've like to tell you in person, but seeing as he was not invited-"

"My father can go to hell," he interrupts angrily. "And seeing as I'd like to see his sorry face as little as possible, I'm going to ask you to deliver the message."

Marion purses her lips to argue, but Chrom stands his ground. "Now."

She eyes Robin and Morgana, and Chrom almost wants her to speak, so he can have an excuse to make a bigger scene as he kicks her out. Instead, she hums distastefully and stands up straighter. "Still so hot-headed. Your father will be disappointed to know you haven't changed at all."

"I won't ask again."

She scoffs at his threat but turns her back and heads toward the exit. Guests slowly start to murmur around them again, and he can feel Emm's eyes on him. By contrast, Robin won't look at him at all, tense like a coiled spring. Her hand is slick with sweat in his, and the second Marion is out of sight, she's taking her mother by the shoulders and asking if she's alright.

Morgana seems slight next to her daughter, who only has a few inches on her but stands like she's supposed to command the room. Morgana rubs at Robin's shoulders, and Robin's frown softens.

He can't help it-a hard knot of jealousy settles in his gut. He's been motherless since he was 10, but it hits him hard as he watches the two talk.

"I'm sorry," Chrom says and it comes out a little harsh. He fidgets as his new mother-in-law's eyes fix on him. "She shouldn't have been here, and whatever she said-"

"There's no need to say anything," Morgana sighs, and she squeezes his arm tentatively. He stares at where she touched him before looking back up. "I assumed there might be...dissidence, so it was nothing I wasn't prepared for. I should apologize for causing a scene like that."

"Mom," Robin says weakly, eyebrows knitted. She throws her arms around the older woman's shoulders. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't you. It was all that hag's fault. Who does she think she is?"

Chrom sighs and checks to make sure guests are lingering too close to them. "Marion Themis," he explains, "is a long-time business and political ally of my father's and allegedly a family friend."

Robin pulls away from her mother and scoffs. "With friends like that…"

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "My thoughts exactly."

"Wait, Themis, you said?" Robin frowns. "As in related to Maribelle?"

He nods. "Her mother, if you can believe it. They're not close, thank god."

"I can see why. She's a nightmare," Robin mutters.

 _That's why they make a perfect pair._

He almost says it aloud, instead he just shakes his head, remarking without thinking, "Finally something we agree on."

It's too exasperated and out of character for newlyweds, but he only realizes it when Robin's eyes widen in warning. She playfully smacks his arm-hard-to cover for him, and Chrom, hoping he doesn't look too panicked, laughs.

"Kidding, of course!"

Morgana narrows her eyes for a moment, like she's trying to decipher something. He's met Robin's mother once before, and that time, too, it'd felt like she could see right through him. In return, all Chrom knows about her is that she's Robin's mother, and that she had no qualms about her daughter getting married on such short notice. Neither of those things do him any good here.

He wants to fidget under the scrutiny again, but he reigns the impulse in and conspicuously takes Robin's hand back.

Robin, of course, has a plan (one of many, he assumes) to throw her off the trail. "Mom, why don't we go find Lucina? You haven't even met her properly!"

Morgana lights up, her suspicion seemingly forgotten. "Oh, I would love to. I believe I saw her around the cake…"

-X-

Her mom leads the way to where Lucina may be hiding, and Robin pulls Chrom alongside her to follow a few steps back.

"Try to remember we're supposed to be in love," Robin hisses.

"It just slipped out!"

She's tempted not to let it go. Robin keeps seeing that Marion woman's face in her mind, and it turns her stomach to imagine what it was that she said to her mother. The derision is nothing new, not with her mother being who she is, but knowing that her mom anticipated it at the wedding makes Robin feel naive and useless.

She's entirely within her rights to blame Chrom for all of this, but it's caught him off-guard, too, if his genuinely contrite expression means anything.

She can't call him out on it, anyway, without risking an argument, and she's not going to let him blame _her_ for that, so the best course of action is none at all.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

The sudden sound of Lucina's voice makes her smile, the ease with which Lucina calls for her settling like a warm weight around her shoulders. The first time Lucina had called her mom, her voice hesitant at first and then elated, Robin's heart had nearly pounded out of her chest. Funny that now she can't imagine going back to being Ms. Robin.

Lucina wriggles out from under the nearest table and hugs her around the legs. "Mommy, your dress is pretty!"

Robin's gotten quite a few compliments on it, but it's Lucina's sincerity and adoration that warms her the most.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Yours is beautiful, too."

Lucina smiles wide and stands a little straighter. The powder blue dress matches Chrom's sisters and a crown of baby's breath stands out brightly against her dark hair. The blanket tucked into the neck of her dress is an odd addition to the look, but it's so perfectly Lucina that it makes Robin want to gather her up and squeeze her.

Chrom beats her to it, scooping her up into his arms with a laugh. "And what have you been up to? Sneaking frosting off the cake?"

"No!" Lucina denies, eyes wide and telling.

"Where's your Aunt Lissa?"

Lucina shrugs.

Morgana, who'd been watching them carefully, steps closer, and one glance at her has Lucina hiding her face against Chrom's neck.

"Luci, don't you want to meet my mom?" Robin prompts, causing Lucina to peek out from her hiding spot.

"Your mom?"

Robin nods and holds her arms out for her. Lucina reaches out almost instantly, and Chrom reluctantly hands her over.

"Hello, Lucina," Morgana says, her eyes shining. "I'm your mom's mom, and I'm so happy to meet you."

Lucina stares, her brow scrunched. "You're my gramma?"

Morgana nods happily, and Lucina looks back to her parents like she can't believe this is happening.

"Daddy, I have a gramma," she whispers seriously, pulling on his lapel. "I never had a gramma before!"

Robin almost laughs, but she catches a flicker of sadness on Chrom's face before he forces enough excitement to match Lucina's and bites her lip. She sobers up quickly, guessing that Lucina hasn't known any of her grandparents, whether by choice or otherwise, and she finds herself setting Lucina down and drifting closer to Chrom.

He hardly reacts to her touch on his arm as he watches Lucina talk about anything and everything with Morgana. Robin's throat is tight with emotion, the sight of her mother warming up to her role as grandmother bringing up memories of her own childhood. It's not the same for him, of course, and Robin is definitely not the person to talk to him about his parents.

Instead she steps in front of him, so he'll have to acknowledge her and says, "I'm getting tired. What do you say to cutting the cake and ducking out?"

His eyes focus on her slowly, but eventually he nods and offers to find his sisters.

Emmeryn and Lissa (well, mostly Lissa) harangue them into a first dance, too, which Robin agrees to for the sake of her sanity. Emmeryn is much too kind to tease them about wanting to leave as soon as possible, but Lissa is relentless until they cave.

When he sweeps her into his arms with a cheeky smile, Robin smiles back to hide her nerves. It's not even that he's touching so much of her-she's a little appalled at how quickly she's become accustomed to the heat of him against her, which she doesn't want to think about ever-but how everyone watches them. She's never had a day of formal dance class in her life, so she's pleasantly surprised when he leads her through the steps well enough to pass for some semblance of knowledge.

It doesn't mean that she doesn't relish in the look of complete shock on Chrom's face when there's cake smeared all over it.

She's sure she has _something_ to get revenge over, and it's oh so sweet.

-X-

That relief goes up in smoke less than an hour later when she's standing at the threshold of her new home.

Chrom manages to get the door unlocked while balancing a sleeping Lucina against his chest, and he steps inside, moving to Lucina's room before he notices Robin hasn't followed.

He turns back and adjusts his grip on Lucina. He sighs. "Are you waiting for me to carry you inside?"

Robin glares. "No." To make her point, she steps inside and locks the door behind her. "I just…"

Chrom starts walking away before she can finish her thought, and she huffs in irritation. They'd been married less than six hours, and they were already a cliche! At any other time, Robin might have laughed at their dedication to their craft, but in the moment, she just wants to lie down and pretend she's going to wake up in her own apartment when morning comes.

Even if her own apartment is tiny and run-down and filled with second-hand things while Chrom's is bright and expensively decorated while simultaneously being child-proof.

"Welcome home," she grumbles and kicks off her modest heels.

She hits the lights, dipping the room into instant darkness, and moves down the hall, pausing to peek into Lucina's room to watch Chrom tuck her in. He really is sweet with her, brushing her hair back, kissing her temple...it says a lot that Lucina is a darling child despite everything she's gone through. She gets the feeling that he wants to be alone and that suits her just fine, so she continues to the master bedroom despite how nervous she feels.

Chrom's apartment is spacious, but with two bedrooms it's meant for a small family, not two co-parents and a child. At first, Robin had argued that she could take the couch or sleep in Lucina's room, but eventually they'd decided that there'd be fewer questions if they simply shared the master bedroom. Neither of them had to clarify that they wouldn't be sharing a bed, and Robin is thankful to every god in existence for that small miracle.

Waking up to him was one thing, waking up _with_ him-she forces the thought to end there and focuses on practical things. Things like how to get out of her dress...and what might happen if Chrom walked in on her...or if she needed help with the zipper.

Robin pulls the dresser drawer with her sleep clothes in it open with more force than necessary, and the loud rattle that sounds makes her curse under her breath. It must be something about the _idea_ of the wedding night getting her riled up without reason. She certainly hadn't been like this any time before this point.

"Stupid societal expectations," she grumbles to herself while she easily takes care of the zipper on her own.

The threat of Chrom barging in makes her move quickly, stripping down and getting changed in seconds flat. It's not a moment too soon because the second she finishes straightening her old t-shirt, the door opens.

"You could knock, you know." She gathers up her dress and moves to the closet to find a garment bag for it.

"It's my room, you know," he shoots back, undoing his tie and who knows what else as if she weren't standing right there.

She turns her back resolutely to give him privacy. "Our room, remember?"

He mumbles something in reply and moves toward the bathroom with a handful of clothes rolled up under his arm.

Well, she might as well get used to talking to herself.

She tries to busy herself making plans for the next day to keep her thoughts from straying to her new husband. In the stillness of the night, though, she's hyper-aware of him readying himself for bed only a few feet away. She's tense all of a sudden, awkward about where she should be in the room. She can't bring herself to relax and rest on the bed or lean against the dresser now because everything feels too distinctly his and too nice to touch.

When he finally emerges-thankfully all covered up in sleep pants and a t-shirt-she jumps at the chance to lock herself in the bathroom. Her nighttime routine calms her nerves, and by the time she's finished the lights are out in the bedroom.

The bed is empty, though the sheets are pulled back on the left side for her. She climbs in gingerly and slides toward the center, tugging the covers up to her chin. The stress of the day hits her heavy all at once, and she yawns into the comforter. She shifts onto her right side to get more comfortable and then she can make out the shape of Chrom lying next to the bed.

He's so quiet she thinks he's asleep until she sees him roll onto his side to face her, too. "Hey, what, uh…" he starts haltingly, voice hushed. "What was bothering you earlier?"

Oh, _now_ he wants to talk. It's a mild annoyance when all she wants is to sleep, but she mumbles anyway, "What was I saying before you completely ignored me, you mean?"

"I had to set Lucina down. My arm was falling asleep."

Robin snorts. "...I was thinking about how real it all seems now that I'm here."

"It didn't feel real when we signed the paperwork?"

"Not so much. Now that I have to live here and share all this with you...it seems overwhelming."

He's quiet again, his breathing almost imperceptible until he says, "...Thank you again."

"Chrom-"

"I know...Um, sleep well."

He turns his back to her and settles down. Robin's asleep before his breathing evens out.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

A giggle is her only warning before Lucina jumps on the bed and worms her way under the covers. Robin blinks blearily at the mess of blue hair peeking out next to her. Lucina huddles against her side, squirming little hands tickling her as Lucina settles down into a comfortable position.

"Lucina!" she laughs, tugging the covers down to see her face.

Lucina shrieks and tries to wiggle further down the bed to avoid being seen. Robin plays along, chasing her until Lucina stops at the foot of the bed, the covers piled on top of her.

"Uh oh, I've got you cornered," Robin says playfully.

"No, Mommy, no!" Her shout is muffled a bit, but Robin gets the idea when Lucina slides off the bed and onto the floor slowly, head first. There's a thump that has Robin gasping and scrambling to the edge of the bed, but the sight of Lucina struggling to find her way out of the whole bed set she'd pulled with her draws a breathless laugh.

Robin stretches her arm out to help and soon enough Lucina is free, bedhead even worse and cheeks red.

"I win," she declares smugly.

The expression is straight from her father, though Robin finds it a hundred times more endearing on Lucina than on him.

Speaking of which—she peeks over the right side of the bed. There's no sign that anyone has even slept there, and then she notices light peeking out from under the bathroom door.

She figures she should get herself and Lucina ready for the day, so she makes another game of it and chases the girl back to her room, leaving the mess of sheets behind for Chrom to find.

Lucina's already given her a tour of her room, from her toys to her books to everything single detail she could think of, but she's enthusiastic all the same when she reminds Robin where to find her clothes. She demands to be dressed in blue, patiently stepping into her tights and raising her arms up for her shirt. Lucina settles down on the floor next to pile of half-arranged building blocks, claiming she hadn't finished her castle yesterday. Robin joins her, spending more time watching the look of concentration on Lucina's face rather than helping, before she decides to make herself decent.

She steps into the room and immediately stumbles back into the doorjamb at the sight of Chrom's bare back. He startles and half-turns at the thud, but it's too late and her eyes have already traced down his spine to his well-fitted jeans and back up to his damp messy hair without meaning to.

 _Look away, Robin, look away!_

She does, maybe peeking as he hurriedly throws a shirt on, but she's all business by the time he's done. She turns to the closet as calmly as she can, even if the image of his broad shoulders and the curve of his bicep is likely burned into her mind forever.

She tells herself it's fine—normal, even. No one would deny that Chrom is an attractive man, so getting an eyeful (of _nothing_ , because really, she'd hardly seen a thing) would be attention-grabbing. Especially if she's newly married and weirdly aware of said attractiveness at all times.

"So…" he starts conversationally after an extended silence. The bed creaks when he sits, and he throws his damp towel toward the center of the bed. "Lucina's up?"

Robin digs out an outfit from the closet and heads toward the dresser. "You think I threw all the blankets to the floor myself?"

Chrom watches her cross the room and chuckles. "I guess not."

His eyes are still on her while she tries to sneak a pair of underwear into her pile of clothes without him seeing. They fall into silence again.

"I'm going to shower," she says finally.

"Er, right." He clears his throat and stands. "I'll...go start breakfast."

She nods, and he hesitates a moment before he goes, calling for Lucina almost immediately. Lucina's muffled laughter brings a smile to Robin's face again. She supposes she'll have to get used to the awkward extended silences between her and Chrom. It was better than arguing, at least. And who knows? If things stayed like this, maybe being married wouldn't be the worst thing.

-X-

For how uncomfortable he thought it would be to have a woman in his home again, he's a little relieved that he's hardly noticed Robin. It helps that he's been busier at work than ever trying to secure a new keystone project for the firm. But even with the early mornings and late nights he'd put in this week, they hadn't made much progress convincing the City Council to give them the contract yet.

He eyes his watch and groans when he notices it's almost six already. Frederick had wanted to go over the proposal one more time before Chrom left the office, but he's tired and frustrated and he's missing Lucina after only being able to catch glimpses of her sleeping all week.

He makes up his mind. He leaves all his documents on the desk, knowing Frederick will be around to sort them out. He pulls his jacket off the coat hanger, but doesn't bother closing the door to his office. Some folks working late wave him off, and Chrom waves back.

He's almost home free through the double doors when he hears a voice that makes him tense instinctively. A heavy palm claps him on the shoulder, and he suppresses a sigh when he turns to Vaike.

The man is the picture of relaxation in his tank top and flip flops. The dress code at the firm is lax, but Vaike takes that to a new level.

Apparently, Vaike feels differently, heaving a huge sigh and declaring, "I'll tell ya, Chrom, this was the longest fucking week of my life."

"You're telling me," Chrom gripes, shaking his head. "I don't know how we're still waiting on approval."

"Who knows?" Vaike shrugs. "If Frederick can't get them to approve the budget, then maybe it's a lost cause."

"Don't say that. We're building that community center sooner or later. I'm just hoping it's _sooner_."

"Ain't we all," Vaike snorts.

There's enough of a pause that Chrom thinks the conversation is over, but Vaike brightens the second Chrom takes a step toward the doors.

"So. I know you're the boss, but why are ya headin' out so soon? Me and the crew are getting together at the Khan's Room. Rumor has it Basilio is taking challengers tonight."

Chrom rolls his eyes and has to laugh. "When have you known me to join you on your drunken escapades, Vaike?"

"That's the point! Before you were all like, 'I gotta leave early to pick up Lucina' or some other parent excuse, but don't think the Vaike hasn't noticed you working late every night this week." Chrom stiffens and continues walking to the door, swinging one open forcefully.

"The old ball and chain," Vaike continues smugly, following close behind.

"Vaike," Chrom says as a warning.

"What? I'm just sayin' that now there's someone to watch Lucina. No reason ya can't take a Friday night off from parenting, right?"

There's something about the way he says it that rubs Chrom the wrong way. Before Robin, getting Lucina ready for school and spending his evening with her were easily among the highlights of his day. The guilt sits like a weight on his chest. He'd taken too many nights off of parenting as it was, and he hadn't heard a word of complaint from Robin.

"Not tonight. Sorry, Vaike," Chrom finds himself saying, leaving his friend standing in front of the doors.

-X-

Robin had whipped up the simplest dinner she could – reheated soup from the day before – since Lucina had been cranky from hunger almost immediately since they'd gotten home. Chrom had mentioned offhandedly that he'd be working late most of the week, and Robin isn't sure if she finds his prolonged absence more annoying than if he'd actually been home.

Sure, she's good with kids. It's her _job_ , after all. But doing her job all day and then coming home to care for Lucina with nary a word of support from her dear husband had been irritating. His routine had been to show up after Lucina had been put to bed, mumble hello, and then rummage around the kitchen for dinner. Rather than stand around to soak in the awkwardness, Robin would say goodnight and hole up in the bedroom, Chrom dutifully leaving her alone until an appropriate bedtime.

She sighs. Is this what married people do?

"Mommy, can I have ice cream?"

Robin looks up from where she is stirring her own bowl of soup and smiles. "Did you finish everything already?"

"Yes! It's all in my tummy!"

Robin giggles at Lucina's newly restored mirth and pats her head. "Okay, after ice cream it's bath time."

"Yes, mommy," Lucina replies excitedly, on her best behavior for to receive her treat.

Lucina had taken to having Robin around like a duck to water. If she noticed the tension between Robin and Chrom, she didn't vocalize it. Of course, not having seen them in the same room for so long helped. Robin knows things can't stay this way forever—avoiding each other and communicating through silences—and she fervently hopes that this… _thing_ that they're doing for Lucina's sake doesn't affect the girl negatively.

She tries to put Chrom out of her mind for the time being and focuses on enjoying her time with Lucina.

Lucina brings exactly six of her toys into the bath with her, and she splashes around for almost an hour before starting to get sleepy. Robin dresses her amidst yawns and sleepy giggles and then tucks her in bed, pulling her favorite blanket snug around her.

Lucina yawns a tiny little yawn that has Robin cooing and leaning down to peck her forehead one final time. Robin makes sure to turn her night light on and leaves the door ajar.

The apartment is eerily still when Lucina is asleep. Robin feels antsy and doesn't want to settle down in the bedroom just yet. There are a few boxes of her things still stacked in the corner of the living room, so she decides to take a look and see what she can bring herself to unpack.

She picks one box from the pile, settles down on the plush carpet, and tears it open. She purses her lips—it's full of child development books. Despite Chrom's apartment being well-decorated, it's clear he's not a bookish type of guy.

"How basic is a damn bookshelf?" She grumbles to herself, pulling each book out one by one and stacking them to the side of the box. She pouts and runs her fingers over the cover of one of her newer purchases. "This might just have to be where they stay."

Before she can get to the second box, the lock on the door clicks.

"Oh." She cranes her neck slightly to see Chrom standing in the doorway behind her. "You're back."

"Yep."

"…Welcome home."

"Thanks."

He stands in the foyer as if it weren't his own home, but Robin ignores him and turns back to her books. She doesn't hear him move, but when she looks back, he's gone.

 _Geez, he comes and goes like a ghost—_

"You put her to bed already?"

Robin inhales sharply, putting a hand to her chest. "God! A little warning please?"  
Chrom frowns down at her. "It's only 7."  
She cranes her neck to narrow her eyes at him. "Almost 8."  
"Whatever," he says, waving her correction away. "Don't you think it's a little too early?"  
She shakes her head and stands to fully face him. "She could hardly keep her eyes open."  
"Well, she could've stayed up to wait for me at least," he grumbles, crossing his arms across his chest.  
"She would've been cranky then. You know how she gets when her sleep is delayed."  
Chrom rolls his eyes. "Of course I know. I'm her father."  
"Exactly," Robin agrees slowly. "That's why she's in bed. You don't talk to me all week, and suddenly you get to criticize my parenting choices?"

"What did we have to talk about, Robin?" he asks. "I know you'd rather have as little interaction with me as possible."

"That doesn't _matter_!" she replies exasperatedly, trying to keep her voice down. "The least you could do is communicate with me! How the hell was I supposed to know you were expecting Lucina be up and waiting for you? I didn't even know when you'd be back!"

"Well—"

"I guess you don't have to be here now that you have a nanny to raise your daughter," she finishes sharply, the words falling out of her mouth before she can stop them. The disbelief crosses Chrom's face instantly, and guilt hits her almost as quickly, settling deeper when Chrom recoils from her outstretched hand.

"I didn't mean that," she sighs.

His jaw is tight with tension, eyes incensed. "Right."

"I'm sorry, Chrom, okay?"

He shakes his head and sweeps out of the room. She hears a door slam, and then the apartment is still again. Robin sinks down onto the carpet, leaning her head back against the seat of the couch, books strewn around her.

Another night this week she ends up alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Daddy is mad at Mommy.

Lucina doesn't like that they're not talking or looking at each other. The car is too quiet, and Lucina doesn't want to say anything because she doesn't want them to be mad at her, too.

Daddy was always mad at Laurel. Sometimes he'd yell at her. She hasn't heard him yell at Mommy, but this is almost worse!

She's so happy that they get to school fast, so she can go play. She doesn't want to sit in the car one more minute with them. She unbuckles her seat belt before Mommy can and hops out of the car all on her own when the door is opened. Daddy gets out and bends down in front of her. Lucina frowns and turns away when Daddy leans in to give her a kiss goodbye.

"You don't want a kiss today?" he asks with a frown of his own.

"No. Mommy does." There, that'll make them be nice to each other again.

He sighs and squeezes her shoulder. "How about this? I'll give you both a big kiss when you get home."

That's forever from now! So much for that plan. Lucina huffs and stomps to the front doors, waiting impatiently for Mommy to unlock it.

"Be a good girl, Lucina!" Daddy calls after her. She huffs again and leans her forehead against the glass impatiently.

Mommy pats her head. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Lucina doesn't want to talk anymore. Once the doors open, she's free to run and play. No more thinking about stupid Daddy.

* * *

"Good morning, Robin!"

Robin looks up from the budget sheet she's trying to redo now that the school has a newfound boost of income (the bright side of marrying into money). Sumia is braced against the doorway, her arms full balancing her purse and two coffees. Robin knows this can't end well and hurries out of her seat to give her a hand.

Sumia breathes a sigh of relief when Robin carefully sits the cups down on the desk and smiles brightly. "Yours is the one on the left. They were out of the dark roast, so I hope medium is okay."

"Sumia, you didn't have to get me anything," Robin chides, but she's grateful all the same. In the rush to get out of the house on time this morning, she hadn't had the chance to sit down with a good old cup of joe. She takes a sip. The coffee is scalding, but it hits the spot and she feels her focus returning.

"I know, silly, but it's a big day! How are you holding up?"

Robin glances toward the classroom where Lucina is coloring. She can spot her through the doorway, firmly concentrated on coloring her butterfly carefully. Robin lowers her voice. "I'd be lying if I said I was perfectly collected. I don't know what to expect out of the custody hearing."

Sumia hums sympathetically. "Well, it's only the first hearing, so maybe it'll be more of a formality. You might not even have to see Laurel."

The coffee in her mouth turns sour at the mention of that name. "I sincerely hope so." She doesn't think she'd be able to stop herself from strangling the woman with her bare hands.

"At least you're not going in alone. You and Chrom will be able to support each other."

Robin nods slowly, trying not to think about her husband who was giving her an all-star silent treatment. Maybe she'd earned it, but she'd at least tried to apologize, and he'd completely rejected it. He was the one being petty, if him hogging the bathroom for almost a half hour was any indication. She's positive Lucina has picked up on the atmosphere between them—she was hardly ever in such a poor mood this early in the morning. She wishes she had the emotional stamina to muster some righteous anger at Chrom, but not today.

Robin sees Sumia's concern and changes the subject. "Are you still okay to watch Lucina this afternoon after the early release?"

Sumia nods brightly. "I'll do my best, captain! I'm thinking we'll head to the park and maybe grab a treat."

"That sounds lovely." Robin reaches out to pull her friend into a hug and relaxes a bit. The custody hearing would go fine, and maybe if she said that enough, she'd believe it.

* * *

The courthouse is in downtown Ylisstol. He doesn't like coming downtown much as it is—too many negative memories associated with the area—but today in particular he feels like he's made of leaves that are a moment's notice from blowing away. Robin is tense at his side on the drive over, not saying anything at all.

They're still fighting. _Of course_ , they're still fighting. It's what they've always done.

Every time he thinks they're going to move past it, something happens to start it all over again. He half-wonders if she's doing this on purpose. One moment he feels something stir in his chest at the tenderness Robin shows Lucina, and the next it's like she has a manual on exactly what to say to get him riled up.

It's maddening and exhausting and not the first time since he proposed that he thinks he's made a mistake.

He doesn't give himself time to dwell on that. The courthouse looms, an entire city block of stony white brick. Thankfully it doesn't take him too long to find a parking spot. He switches off the ignition and inhales deeply. This is it. It's the first day of the rest of his life, essentially. If it doesn't go well…

"Chrom?"

It's the first word she's said to him since he picked her up from the school. Her hand hovers over the button to release her seatbelt, inches away from his elbow. Her brow is furrowed, almost concerned.

"What?" he asks, curt.

Her expression closes instantly, and she clicks off her seatbelt, turning to look out the window. "I asked if you were ready."

He clenches his hands that have started to sweat. He shakes his head but reaches for the door handle. "Let's just get in and out of here."

He doesn't wait for her acknowledgment before getting out of the car.

Chrom takes long, quick strides across the manicured court lawn toward the steep white steps of the courthouse, Robin trailing two steps behind him. He spots Maribelle, impeccably dressed and punctual as always, waiting at the top of the steps in front of courthouse doors. Her lips turn down just the slightest bit at the sight of him, and she peers past him until she glimpses Robin. Maribelle is too keen to not notice the tension, especially when Robin gives him a wide berth. His lawyer gives him a look.

 _Ugh, here we go._

Maribelle clears her throat. "I hate to overstep my bounds, but as we're about to enter a hearing for the custody of Lucina, it would be prudent to present a _united_ front."

And there it was.

He hesitates to remedy the situation, but Robin's hand slowly slips into his. Her fingers are cold, the March air still a little chilly even in the early afternoon, but it doesn't catch him off guard. He's becoming very familiar with the feeling of her hand in his, and at least that's progress.

Robin doesn't attempt a smile, but she looks at him with wide, unguarded eyes. He doesn't even know if he's still mad at this point or if he just wants to hold on to that feeling to avoid talking about it. Still, she's here now when it counts, and he owes her the world just for this. Chrom holds her gaze and squeezes her hand.

Maribelle, apparently appeased, beckons them into the courthouse and speaks quickly and quietly.

"We have a bit of luck on our side. Our judge has a record of ruling very favorably toward two-parent families. This hearing will primarily consist of outlining how the court will decide who is better fit to parent Lucina. Perform well on the assessments that the court decides on, and we should have this case handed to us on a platter. Any questions?"

"Wait, what if she's married now, too?" Robin asks, tugging him along as she picks up her pace to keep up with Maribelle.

"I very much doubt that's the case. She has not filed for a marriage license in Ylisse as of yesterday."

"Well, that's one piece of good news."

"Indeed."

Maribelle stops abruptly by a set of ornate doors and turns on her heel. Chrom can hear his heart beating loudly in his ears. He hasn't been this nervous since he got married (the first time). Robin readjusts her grip so their fingers interlock.

"We're here just on time. Are you ready?"

Chrom nods. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Maribelle offers a small smile. "Don't be intimidated by anything that happens in there. You're good parents. Remember that."

Then, she opens the doors.

* * *

Random evaluations.

They'd have to put up with random evaluations from court-appointed child services professionals for six months. They'd have to do scheduled interviews as well, but it's the surprise nature of the evaluations that Robin is already dreading.

What if someone came to evaluate them in the middle of one of their arguments? Or worse, what if they realized that Chrom had married under false pretenses? Any evaluator could conclude that it's not an ideal environment for a child or that he's unfit to parent.

Robin feels a stress headache coming on, not at all helped by the blinding sunlight outside after an hour of sitting under dim fluorescent bulbs. By contrast, Chrom seems almost carefree. Her hand is still clasped in Chrom's, his grip looser than it had been while they'd sat through the judge's deliberations. This time he's keeping pace with her instead of the other way around. She's not sure what he's thinking, but at the very least they didn't have to see—

"Chrom?!"

 _Oh, god, no._

Robin wants to keep moving or break into a sprint, but Chrom freezes and then it's too late.

They have to see her face to face, after all.

The first thing Robin notices about Laurel is how strikingly beautiful she still is. She had an iciness to her features—pale blue eyes, high cheekbones, and the slightest frown on her lips—but Robin can see why she had caught Chrom's eye. She doesn't want to stare, but there's a part of her that wants to find Lucina's features in this woman, or rather, not find them. She doesn't want any part of this woman in Lucina.

"What do you want?" Chrom's tone is steely and his hold on her tightens.

Laurel narrows her eyes. Her makeup is flawless, much like the couture outfit she's wearing. "It's not about what I want," she snaps. "It's about my baby's well-being."

Chrom takes the bait. "If that's what this is about—"

"Chrom, let's go," Robin warns, trying to pull him away. "She's not worth our time. She doesn't have anything to say to us that can't be said through a lawyer."

She curls her lip at Robin. "I wasn't speaking to you. I won't let you get away with exposing my baby to people like you," she spits, taking a step toward Robin.

Chrom instinctively steps in front of her, shielding her with his body. "Don't fucking talk to her like that," he hisses. "You have no fucking right—no right to even be here!"

"Chrom." Robin pleas.

"I know," he says to her, tone softer. He turns to Laurel, who's seething, and delivers his finishing blow. "If this was really about Lucina, you would have bothered to show up on time. You're pathetic."

He turns his back and allows Robin to lead him back to the car even as Laurel keeps shouting at him. They hurry inside, and she risks a look back, relieved that she didn't follow them. They sit in silence for a few minutes, each consumed by thoughts.

"That woman…" Robin begins finally, stunned, "is absolutely horrendous. How could you ever sleep with someone like that?"

"I know, I know." Chrom sighs and grips the steering wheel tightly. "What she said—Robin, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." She shrugs, then adds almost as an afterthought, "I've heard worse."

He frowns and lifts one hand as if to reach for her. "Robin—"

"It's okay." She doesn't want to talk about this now, but that fact that he wants to talk this out means that he's on her side. Having him in her corner is a feeling she could get used to. "Hey…I've never been so glad that Lucina's so much like you."

"Thank you…?"

Robin gives a little laugh. "It's a compliment."

Chrom nods slowly, the beginnings of a smile on his face. "Okay."

She turns in her seat to look at him fully, locking eyes with him. He turns in his seat to mimic her. "Chrom…will you accept my apology for the things I said a few days ago?"

"Yes. I…I'm sorry I reacted that way."

"You don't have to apologize. I—"

"No, I do," he interrupts. "You're doing me a favor, and I have no right to ask anything else of you."

Robin waves her hand as if to literally clear the air. "You can ask things of me. We're in this together, right? So we should work together to give Lucina the best home environment possible."

"You're right," he says. He laughs to himself. "You're right a lot, you know?"

Robin shrugs and doesn't bother hiding her smile. He reaches to squeeze her hand briefly before starting the car. Whether it's the courthouse in the rear view mirror or the peace with her husband, she feels lighter than she has in weeks.

* * *

"Mommy!"

Chrom watches Lucina jump into Robin's arms the second she steps onto the playground. The local park is teeming with kids, but he spots Sumia dutifully keeping an eye on her charge from a nearby bench.

"Mommy, did you see me slide?" He hears Lucina gush, pointing toward the largest slide on the playground.

"I sure did, Luci. Weren't you scared of going down that slide?"

Lucina shakes her head proudly. "Nope! I'm brave." She looks around a moment. "Where's Daddy?"

"I'm here, I'm here." He says and shoots Robin a grateful look when she hands Lucina off to him.

"Daddy!" Lucina lights up and throws her short arms around his neck. He holds her tight and feels the stress of the day slipping further away. She giggles at the hug, and he takes the chance to plant a big kiss on her chubby cheek.

"Daddy, don't forget to kiss Mommy!"

Oh. His promise. He'd forgotten about that.

"Okay, but another kiss for you first." Lucina nods enthusiastically and offers her other cheek. "Now go show me how brave you are. I heard you were sliding down the big girl slide on your own!"

Lucina grins. "Watch me!"

He sets her down, and she takes off like a bolt. She slows down a little over the woodchips in the playground but then scurries up to the top of the slide like a blur.

"Good distraction."

"She's not distracted," Chrom deadpans. "She's watching right now." He tilts his head toward the top of the slide, and sure enough, Lucina is eyeing them from between the bars, trying to hide in plain sight.

There's no way for Lucina to enforce her silly request. He's under no obligation to kiss Robin.

"Oh." Robin clears her throat. "Do you think if we wait long enough she'll forget?"

He doesn't register what she says before he asks, "May I?"

They stare at each other, and his throat feels dry. He lets the silence sit between them, waiting for her to say no. Instead, after what seems like an age and a half, she offers her cheek to him.

He swallows.

He gently cups one cheek with his hand and sweeps away her hair with the other before leaning in. Her skin is soft under his lips, and he lingers long enough to feel her breath on him. It's simple, it's chaste, and it feels like so much more than what it was. He feels her cheek rise under his palm as she smiles.

Satisfied, Lucina shouts in joy as she slides all the way down.

* * *

 _Thanks so much for reading! Aiming for about 15 chapters with this story and to get it done before the end of the year. :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _Chrom and Robin make progress._

* * *

Robin has learned the downside of (fake) marrying into money. She now has disposable income to buy books on top of books, but only so much free time to read them. She's voraciously making her way through a new crime thriller she'd picked up earlier that, trying to finish it up so she can move on to the other books on her ever growing reading pile next to the armchair (unofficially her reading chair).

Lucina is settled in her lap, cozily wrapped in her blanket and flipping through her own book full of pictures of animals. Robin is more than a little proud that Lucina's book collection is growing steadily as well, all too easy when there's a bookstore down the street from the school.

God, Chrom really needs a bookshelf or three.

Her gaze drifts from her book.

Chrom is stretched out on the plush couch, looking over paperwork for the next day's work. He's somehow perfectly collected yet casual, the top two buttons of his pajama top curiously undone. Robin recognizes the slight frown on his face as his look of concentration, so she lets her gaze linger on the exposed skin of his collarbone. She's seen quite a bit of skin in the time she's been here (all on accident, obviously), but this look is oddly the most attractive she's found him. She doesn't know what that says about her and doesn't care to investigate the thought further.

He suddenly looks up from his work and their eyes meet. Robin snaps her eyes back toward her book.

 _Good going, Robin. Very inconspicuous_.

She risks another look at Chrom and finds him focused on his work again, a slight smile on his face now. It's contagious, and she finds herself smiling, too. It's strangely peaceful to be able to sit in a room all together and not have an atmosphere of contention hanging over them. The last few weeks had been almost dreamlike in how smoothly they'd gone, the renewed truce between them holding so far. There were a few hiccups (why does Chrom always leave his wet towel on the bed?), but overall, they were getting along.

Chrom had been making an effort to come home early each evening, arriving slightly later than the two of them. He'd even offered to cook some of the nights—mostly breakfast food, but food nonetheless. Lucina in particular could hardly contain her joy at being able to spend more time with both of them.

She can't remember the last time she's felt so comfortable and happy. The thought is sobering. Not worrying about making ends meet, caring for Lucina as her own daughter, having a husband who is trying to meet her in the middle—it would be so easy to get used to this.

She's lost in thought, and she almost doesn't hear Chrom address her.

"Robin?"

She blinks at him. "Huh?"

"Do you have plans Saturday night?"

"Saturday?"

"Yes, Saturday," he repeats slowly. He sits up, and she feels Lucina subtly perk up in attention, too.

"What's happening then?"

She scans her mental calendar for any big events happening over the weekend and comes up blank.

 _What if it's a date?_

She doesn't know where the thought comes from, but she immediately banishes it from her mind. It's not possible. This marriage is strictly transactional, no matter how attractive he looks in his pajamas. It isn't a date.

 _But what if it is?_

Would she turn him down if he asked her on a date? Could she? Did wives do that? But more importantly, would she _really_ turn him down if he was asking now, looking like this?

The fact that her immediate answer to that question isn't yes is disconcerting.

"Well…" Chrom begins, snapping her out of her spiraling train of thought again. He runs his palms over the couch's leather seats. "I was hoping you'd be okay with having dinner with my sisters."

Oh. Phew. Okay. _Not a date._

"We get to go see Auntie Emm!?" Lucina shouts excitedly, leaping off her perch in Robin's lap. She spins, leans forward against Robin's knees, and smiles wide. "Mommy, can we go? Can we?"

Robin has to laugh at her enthusiasm, her worries (or disappointment) dissipating. She playfully tugs on one of Lucina's pigtails. "Okay, okay, we can go."

"Yes!" she cheers. "Can I play with Naga?"

"Only if you are very gentle with her. She's very old," Chrom interjects.

"I promise." Lucina nods solemnly. "Mommy, Naga is sooo fluffy!"

"I know she is, sweetheart." Robin has never met Chrom's aging family dog, but she's heard enough from Lucina to paint a thorough mental picture.

"Can I have a dog?"

Robin laughs nervously. "Um, ask your father."

Chrom immediately shoots her a look of betrayal. Robin bites her lip to keep from laughing and shrugs.

"Daddy, pleeeeease!"

Chrom sighs. "Maybe when you're older, honey. Dogs are a big responsibility."

"Oh...okay…"

Lucina's tiny sad face is almost too much to bear, so Robin scoops her up and squeezes her. "Oh, Luci, cheer up. What'll make you feel better?"

Lucina thinks hard, then declares, "Tickles."

Robin gives her a skeptical look. "You want to be tickled?"

"No! Daddy wants tickles!"

Chrom looks up. "What? No!"

"I got you, Daddy!" Lucina takes off from Robin's knee and pounces, wiggling her fingers along his ribs.

Robin knows from experience that Lucina's tickling strategy needs some work, but Chrom is putting on a good show, laughing loudly and wriggling like his life depends on it. His pajama top rides up and exposes the muscled ridge of his abdomen. With his attention diverted, Robin can let her gaze linger longer than she would normally allow herself.

"Mommy, help!" Lucina shouts in between giggles when Chrom has captured her, her arms pinned to her side with a hug.

Robin jumps into action. She takes a guess that his ribs are ticklish, so she pokes him there first. He yelps and immediately releases Lucina, grabbing Robin's hands to keep her from tickling him again. Robin shrieks in surprise and tries to squirm out of his grip, but he remains firm and her struggling causes her to fall backwards. Chrom goes with her, and he pins her to the floor, her hands under his and his knees bracketing her hips.

His grin is stunning, his hair falling softly over his forehead, and Robin's eyes drift toward his mouth subconsciously.

She swallows. "You got me."

"I did."

Chrom's smile slowly fades, his gaze hyper-focused on her. Her breath is a little shallow, and she's acutely aware of all the places their bodies are touching. She remembers how warm his touch had been the day of the wedding, on her back, her arms, her lips. Her heart beats a little faster seeing him above her now. Her hands squeeze his, and he leans down just the slightest bit. She lets her eyes fall shut.

Suddenly, Lucina squeals, "Piggyback ride!"

"Whoa!"

Robin opens her eyes to find Lucina peering back at her from on top of Chrom's back.

"Okay, one piggyback ride, and then it's bedtime," Chrom capitulates. He gives Robin one more look before releasing her.

Robin slowly sits up. Watching the two of them play brings a smile to her face. Their grins are identical, and warmth fills her chest at seeing them so happy. She hopes they get to be happy like this together for as long as possible.

Yes, it would be all too easy to want to keep this forever. But she's just borrowing this life, and in less than six months' time, she'll have to go back to her own.

* * *

"Ugh, come on," Robin hisses.

She huffs at the bathroom mirror and twists her arm behind her again to try to push the zipper up on her dress. It's not skintight by any means, and yet the zipper is stuck. It's a simple purple sleeveless sheath that she's worn to nearly every single "dressy" occasion she's had to attend since college.

She supposes she has enough money to buy a new dress now, but she likes this one. She turns in the mirror to see how much more she needs to be zipped and makes a little noise of dismay. The zipper is barely above her hips. She's hardly made any progress on it at all.

She cracks open the bathroom door and sees Chrom rummaging in the dresser. He's fully dressed in gray slacks and a navy button down shirt that's perfectly fitted to his broad shoulders and trim waist. He pauses at the sound of the door and raises an eyebrow at her.

"Yes?"

"Can you…" Her sentence stalls.

"Can I what?"

She sighs and pulls the door open wider. "Can you zip this up for me?" she mumbles.

He starts to laugh, then immediately bites it back at the look she gives him. He can't resist teasing her, though. "The mighty Robin bested by a zipper?"

"It's stuck." She gives him an unimpressed stare when she sees his reflection appear behind hers in the mirror. "I wouldn't be asking if I could do it myself."

"Should I be savoring the fact that you're asking _me_ for help for a change?"

"Chrom."

"Okay, okay." He appeases her, still amused. "Lucky for you, I'm an expert at zippers."

"A lot of experience with women in dresses, huh?"

"I—well." Chrom flushes. "Not _that_ much—what I mean is—you know what I meant!"

He's so flustered that even the tips of his ears are red, and Robin starts to shake with laughter. His embarrassment is oddly endearing, and it tells her all she needs to know about his dating history. What a dork.

"Stay still," he grumbles and grabs her hips to steady her.

His hands linger there for a moment and then the fabric around her waist is being pulled tighter. His fingers sweep her long hair across her neck and over one shoulder, so he can finish zipping her up.

"There." He carefully gathers her hair and lets it fall down her back again. She turns to face him. "Oh. Wow."

Robin looks down at her outfit. "What?"

"Nothing." He smiles and walks out of the bathroom.

She follows. "What?"

" _Nothing_ ," he insists with a laugh. "You just look nice."

With that, he's off to some other part of the apartment, probably to wrangle Lucina into her dinner outfit. Robin stares after him, trying to decipher the emotion swirling in her stomach. She leans heavily against the sink.

Something is changing.

It's apparent in the way he lingers around her and the way his hands always seem to be brushing against her lately. She can hardly believe that they _banter_ now. Well, she can, because when the joking stops it seems like tension drops on them like an anchor. She's more surprised than anyone to find that she has enjoyed being around him when he's not trying to aggravate her. They're not in love, but they're…something. Friends, perhaps?

If only teenage Robin could see her now, cozying up to Chrom Exalt himself. She snorts. In the whole time they'd known each other, there had been few moments of peace between them. They had both been too strong-willed to let the other get the upper hand in their exchanges. She wonders if they would have had a long and storied friendship had their circumstances been different as kids. Maybe.

She turns back to the mirror to finish up her makeup for the evening.

* * *

Emmeryn's house in the suburbs of Ylisstol is beautiful. The forest green house almost blends in entirely with the lush lawn and vibrant trees surrounding the property. Lucina bounds up the stairs of the porch and knocks on the door as soon as she's out of the car.

Chrom and Robin are just catching up to her when the door opens, and Emmeryn greets them with a warm smile.

Robin has met Emmeryn a handful of times, but she's always stunned by how ethereal she looks, this time in a simple golden dress and with her blonde waves framing her face like a halo. Standing in the doorway of her picture perfect house, Emmeryn looks like a woodland princess.

"Luci!" she kneels down to give her niece a hug. Lucina makes sure to give her a big kiss on the cheek.

"Auntie, where's Naga?" she asks, getting right down to business.

"She's in the backyard, sweetheart. Please be careful on the steps leading out."

"Okay!" Lucina zooms past her aunt without another word, single-minded in her quest to play with the dog.

Emmeryn laughs lightly at her antics and ushers Chrom and Robin inside. She engulfs them in a hug, and the soothing scent of lavender fills Robin's nose.

"It feels like it's been so long since I've seen you both."

"It hasn't been that long," Chrom says, slipping his arm around Robin's waist. "Has it?"

"We haven't seen you since the wedding!" Lissa interjects. She appears from around the wall that leads to the kitchen, a mixing bowl in her hands. "Guess you've been busy since then, huh?"

Lissa's smirk makes her meaning clear, and Robin immediately changes the subject to spare them both the embarrassment. Even if they had married for love, she doesn't know how much time they'd find to be _busy_ with a rambunctious four-year-old around.

"It's really good to see you, Lissa."

Lissa places her mixing bowl on one of the side tables in the foyer and inserts herself between Chrom and Robin to hug her.

"Oh!" Robin almost staggers back but manages to keep her balance and return the embrace. For someone so small, Lissa sure packed a bit of a punch.

"Oh, you, too! I've missed you and Lucina like crazy!"

"What about me?" Chrom jokes.

"What about you?" Lissa says and sticks her tongue out at him.

Chrom rolls his eyes and pokes at the bowl she'd abandoned. "Is this supposed to be dessert?"

"It sure is! You'd better like it because I practiced this mousse recipe like twice."

Her brother snorts. "Hopefully I'll be really full from dinner."

Lissa finally breaks away from Robin to fully glare at him. "I'll show you!" She turns back to Robin. "You think my mousse will be good, right, Robin?"

Chrom shakes his head wildly behind Lissa's back, trying to warn her.

"Um…yes, I'm excited to try it."

"Aha!" Lissa scoops up the bowl triumphantly. "You're going to eat your words, Chrom."

"Don't count on it," he teases and laughs loudly when Lissa stomps back into the kitchen.

Emmeryn lets out a sigh at their antics, but Robin can tell she's happy all the same. Robin is at ease, too. She hadn't really been nervous about having dinner with Chrom's family. She's always felt comfortable in Emmeryn's serene presence or when dealing with Lissa's bubbly personality. The two of them had kept her above water when it came to planning the last-minute wedding, especially when she and Chrom had still been at odds in private. If nothing, she's grateful at how accepting they've been of her (although when compared to Laurel, she supposes the bar is on the floor).

"I'd better check on the chicken," Emmeryn says. "Feel free to join us in the kitchen. Frederick is in the backyard."

Chrom nods. He offers to take her coat after his sister has gone and then his hand is on the small of her back, guiding her toward the kitchen. Surprisingly, neither of his sisters are there anymore, but the room is filled with the delicious scent of roasted chicken.

"Do you want a drink?"

"Yes, please."

"Is white wine okay?"

Robin nods and hops onto one of the bar chairs tucked beneath the heavy granite counter of the kitchen island. She watches him smoothly get a new wine bottle open and pour her a glass.

"My lady." He hands the glass to her with a disarming smile.

She narrows her eyes at him suspiciously.

"What?" He settles on the seat next to her, sitting close enough that their knees bump together.

"This may be the most charming I've seen you." She takes a sip of the wine, savoring the sweetness on her tongue.

Chrom bumps her knee again, his expression morphing into a self-satisfied grin. "You think I'm charming?"

"I didn't say that." She definitely doesn't have plausible deniability in this case, but she denies it anyway just to avoid giving him the satisfaction. Chrom sees through her ruse, shaking his head with a chuckle, and then, knowing the perfect way to cement her compliment, he takes her left hand and presses a warm kiss above the knuckle where her wedding ring rests.

 _God damn it, he's good._

If he keeps this up, Robin is going to find it very difficult to resist her growing urge to push him up against a wall and kiss him senseless.

He runs his thumb over her wedding band and then slides off his seat. "I'm sure Frederick has everything under control, but I'm going to go check on Lucina."

Robin downs the rest of her glass the moment he exits to the patio. She's in the middle of pouring herself another drink when Lissa and Emmeryn reappear, having apparently been outside as well.

"Do you two need any help preparing dinner?" she offers, needing to do something besides drink to get her mind off of their entirely too mischievous brother.

"Everything is just about done, but you can help set the table if you'd like."

Robin jumps at the chance to busy herself, taking her time in diligently setting out plates and utensils in a way that Emmeryn's fastidious husband would appreciate. The quiet calm of the kitchen is soothing as the three of them tackle their separate tasks—Lissa obsessed with perfecting her mousse and Emmeryn preparing a salad.

"Soooo," Lissa begins casually, apparently not obsessed with her mousse enough. "How are things going with Chrom?"

"Uh," Robin hesitates, sensing a trap. She reaches for her glass. "Things are going well."

Lissa looks entirely too innocent as she pushes her bowl to the side to lean on the counter. "I wasn't _spying_ , but I did see Chrom fawning all over you a little while ago."

Robin nearly chokes on her drink. "Excuse me?"

"Lissa," her sister admonishes.

"What? I think it's cute! Chrom was never like that with Laurel."

"Yes, well," Emmeryn pauses and allows herself a small smile. "I'm simply glad to see him happy. It's all thanks to you, Robin."

Emmeryn crosses the room to give Robin another hug. Robin reaches to embrace her, too, a knot in her throat. Her gratitude feels like too much. They don't know about the agreement. She's just here for Lucina's sake, and even then it's not a selfless act when she's accepting Chrom's money.

"I just want them to be happy," Robin manages to say as Emmeryn pulls away.

"You're too good for Chrom," Lissa sighs dramatically, lightening the mood instantly with her humor.

The door to the patio opens all of a sudden, and Chrom and Frederick enter with Lucina and Naga in tow. Lucina immediately runs to Robin and motions that she wants to be carried. Robin picks her up and winces when Lucina puts her ice cold hands on her cheeks.

"Oh, you're freezing!"

"I'm not cold! Uncle Breddy was letting me play fetch with Naga!"

Frederick doesn't even react when she mispronounces his name, probably used to it by now. He leans down to pet Naga exactly twice. "Her throwing needs some work, but nothing that can't be improved with practice."

Chrom laughs. "At least she has the best stick throwing teacher she could ever ask for."

"A little discipline goes a long way in any activity." Frederick makes his way over to Robin and offers his hand for her to shake. "My apologies for not greeting you earlier, Robin."

Robin takes his hand. "Don't worry about it. Thanks for keeping an eye on Lucina. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"She's always a delight." His mouth quirks up in one corner, a faint smile. "Now, who's hungry?"

Lissa immediately raises her hand, so Frederick takes charge of carving the roasted chicken and arranging the sides on the table. The meal is delicious, no surprise when the vegetables and herbs are all picked from Emmeryn's own garden.

The talk over dinner shifts between how Lissa is holding up in her last semester of school (poorly) to Chrom and Frederick's work at the contracting firm (Robin kind of zones out here) to how Robin's school is doing (surprisingly okay). She's particularly interested when they get to talking about Emmeryn's work with Shepherds of Ylisse, her youth mentoring nonprofit. Robin had looked into mentoring with them at one point, especially since she would have appreciated someone like that in her life when she was a kid.

Lissa's chocolate mousse is (surprisingly) a hit, and Chrom does indeed eat his words, though he makes sure to thoroughly praise his sister as an apology.

It's when the meal is wrapping up that Lucina begs to stay longer and then, eventually, to spend the night.

"Yes! Can she, Chrom? Pretty please?" Lissa pleads. "I hardly get to hang out with my favorite niece!"

"You mean your only niece?"

Lissa rolls her eyes. "Don't you and Robin want to spend more time alone?"

Yes.

No!

(Yes.)

Robin can't resist the two pleading faces in front of her, and she doesn't want to lead the talk toward their (nonexistent) sex lives again, so she gives in. "Yes, you can spend the night, Lucina. If that's okay with your aunt and uncle."

And, of course, it's alright with them because no one can deny this child anything it seems. Lucina's sheer joy convinces Robin it's the right choice, even if it means she has to spend the whole night and the next day in the apartment alone with Chrom.

She reaches for more wine.

* * *

Lucina has managed to fall asleep on the dog bed next to Naga, her blanket covering the dog protectively. It's not the first time that it's happened, but it's adorable without fail. Chrom is lucky that Lissa loves documenting every single thing that Lucina does, since it means even more pictures of Lucina for him. He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he already knows what he'll find when he opens the message.

They've moved to the living room, Frederick graciously pouring everyone except Chrom another glass of wine. Robin is on her second glass if he remembers right, and he assumes that buzz is what's making her more affectionate with him.

He has no qualms about that.

Chrom is well aware that he's been seeking her touch tonight more than he normally would, especially sober. He tells himself that they have to play the part of the fawning newlyweds for his family. He tries hard not to think about the little touches he'd allowed himself in the time since she'd let him to kiss her cheek at the park. Those weren't for anyone but himself.

He's in trouble. He knows he is, but he can't bring himself to care very much when Robin is practically melting against him on the loveseat. Emm shoots him a knowing look when he lifts his arm to put it around Robin.

God, he can't even be smooth about this.

Luckily, Emm spares him the embarrassment and motions to Lucina. "She gets bigger every time I see her." Her serious tone leaves no doubt in his mind about what she's thinking about.

"Everything is going to be fine. Don't worry." He reassures her, and he means it. He's not worried about losing his daughter anymore. He fully trusts Robin and has faith that the judge will find them more suitable parents than Laurel.

"Have you done your scheduled interviews yet?" she asks.

Robin shakes her head. "They haven't scheduled ours yet."

"We were asked to meet with the child services representative this week," Frederick shares while stoking the fire in the fireplace. "The questions were fairly standard, and I've no doubt in my mind that you're faring better than Laurel."

"Ugh, thank God," Lissa says.

"I'm relieved to hear you think so," Robin agrees. She places her glass on the coffee table, and then her hand settles on Chrom's knee.

"Chrom…" Emmeryn starts, her brow furrowed. "I think you should reach out to Father."

He sits up straighter, letting Robin go.

"Emmeryn, perhaps—" Frederick tries to intervene, but she ignores him.

"I know you don't want to hear this," she continues, her hands reaching as if to pacify him. "But Father has contacts in the justice system that could help your case."

He's incredulous, but he tries to keep his voice low. "Emm!"

"I'm merely offering a suggestion."

"I don't want anything to do with him." He leaves no room for argument with his tone. "If you want to, that's your choice."

"I know." Emm sighs and takes Chrom's hand. "I won't pressure you to do anything, but I think it's time for the two of you to mend your relationship. The last thing I want is for you to be at odds with him forever."

He shakes his head in disbelief. "You say that as if we don't have a perfectly good reason for never speaking to him. Where was he when we actually needed him?" Emmeryn averts her gaze, looking pained. He hates to argue with Emm when he knows she means well, but he refuses to ask anything of his father ever again. "I'm sorry, Emm. I'm not going to him. Not now, not ever."

"But Chrom—" This time it's Lissa, her voice small.

"Lissa, please."

Her face falls. He doesn't understand how Lissa can side with Emmeryn on this.

Frederick, ever the voice of reason, intervenes before the conversation can devolve into a real argument. "I think it'd be best if we discussed this another day. We're all tired and some of us," Frederick looks pointedly at Lissa, "have overdone it tonight."

"I'm tooootally fine!" she argues, then immediately spills her wine on herself as she's trying to take another sip. She pouts, and Frederick fetches a towel to clean her up.

"Can Lucina still stay?" Emmeryn asks.

Chrom nods and offers a goodbye hug to both of his sisters. "Thank you for having us. We'll try to be back soon."

Robin stands with a bit of a wobble, and she hugs both of them goodbye. Frederick promises he'll be moving Lucina to a real bed, and with that, Chrom and Robin are on their own.

* * *

The ride back to their apartment is silent, with Robin dozing lightly in the passenger seat. It's a relief to Chrom, who is too wound up to make conversation. He likes driving, especially at night when the streets are less bustling and the lights make Ylisstol look like a twinkling utopia.

He sits in the silence a few minutes after they arrive and he shuts off the car. He doesn't know if he'll be able to get to sleep after Emm's talk.

He shakes Robin's shoulder.

She shifts and blinks blearily at him. "We're home?"

"Yes, time to go inside."

She hums in agreement and gathers her coat and purse.

He lets Robin into the apartment ahead of him, following slowly. He's struck by the silence in the apartment without Lucina, even if it's late and she would have been asleep and quiet as a mouse anyway. There's just something missing without her.

Robin is in the bathroom when he makes it to the bedroom, so he busies himself getting his sleep area ready. The prospect of sleeping on the floor doesn't sound appealing to his back, though he can always take Lucina's bed tonight. He's refrained from taking the couch because he doesn't want her asking questions if she finds him there one morning. He idly wonders if an air mattress would be too noisy to put down every night. He doesn't know how much back pain that would spare him, but—

"Chrom?"

Robin is standing at the foot of the bed, barefoot but still in her dress. He looks up at her from the middle of the nest of blankets he's putting down. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" Her voice sounds hesitant, like she's afraid to ask.

"I'm…I'm okay," he sighs, rising to take a seat on the bed. "I'm just…frustrated. Emm of all people should understand why I don't want to speak to our father, and yet she always tries to change my mind."

She nods and sits next to him. "I'm sorry."

"It is what it is." He finds himself reaching for her hand thoughtlessly, stops himself, and then goes for it anyway.

She doesn't pull away, so they sit in amiable silence, Chrom enjoying the way her skin warms his.

"Can you help me unzip this?"

Her question hangs in the air until he gestures for her to turn her back to him. She shifts on the bed and sweeps her hair to the side.

He drags the zipper down her back, letting his fingers softly follow its trail on the smooth skin it exposes. He wants to feel more of it. He's never denied that Robin is attractive, but now that they're arguing less, it's like he can't stop thinking about her.

He takes a risk and places a kiss at the base of her neck. He hears her inhale shakily.

"Chrom?" she murmurs.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to sleep in your bed?"

He can barely hear himself over his thudding heartbeat. "Not without you."

Robin turns around to face him, her dress hanging loosely off her shoulders. He can only watch, slack-jawed, as her slim fingers crawl up his chest. She undoes the first button of his shirt, then the next, and with one smooth move, she cups his jaw to kiss him.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! I always appreciate feedback!_


End file.
